Conference 2012 – Guest Blogger Morag Campbell

WHS Conference 2012

Morag Campbell, Open University and University of Dundee.

Distance learning fits in well with full time work and family commitments, but it can be a lonely business.  Modern technology enables us to communicate with tutors and other students through online forums, webinars and online tutorials, but nothing beats face to face contact with like-minded people.

With this in mind, I’m very much looking forward to attending Women’s History Scotland’s 2012 Conference: Women and Wellbeing on October 12/13 in Edinburgh.  I’m currently studying the Open University’s MA in History, which is split into two modules – the first is an exploration of theoretical and methodological issues, followed by the study of four themes.  The end of module assessment (EMA) is effectively a dissertation proposal which students then go on to write up in the second module of the course.  I’m nearing the end of the first module, and looking forward to researching and writing my dissertation next year.

The focus of my dissertation will be constructions of female insanity in the mid-19th century, specifically in relation to social background.  I’ll be studying a group of patients admitted to Dundee Lunatic Asylum between 1835 and 1860 whose condition was attributed to the effects of childbirth and lactation.

By day, I work on a medical education journal, based at Dundee University, overseeing the peer review process from submission to production.  Although I’m a newbie at attending conferences, and I confess to being a bit nervous, I’m really looking forward to the experience and the opportunity to meet some like-minded people.

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